CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QF & SF ROUND-UP
By Alex Wright
Terry attempted to clear a cross from Blaise Matuidi, only to find Ezequiel Lavezzi who rifled a volley into the goal off the crossbar. Lavezzi attempted to add to his tally but failed to find the target on separate occasions. However Chelsea were to be the next to score as Thiago Silva fouled Oscar in the penalty area. Eden Hazard produced a cool finish from the resulting spot kick to bring the two sides level in the 27th minute.
PSG came out in the second half determined to grab another goal, and in the 60th minute their efforts were rewarded as Edinson Cavani forced David Luiz to prod the ball into his own goal after the Argentinian’s free kick caused havoc in the area. The home side continued to press the visitors despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic limping off in the later stages. Cavani then curled an effort wide in the closing stages before Javier Pastore was able to slalom through the Chelsea defence to beat Petr Cech at the near post and seal the leg for the home side.
PSG went into the second leg at Stamford Bridge looking to build on their first leg success and book their place in the semi-finals. They attempted to stifle Chelsea from the beginning, restricting the home side’s room to work. However Eden Hazard’s unfortunate early exit was to make way for Andre Schurrle, who made his presence known immediately. Ten minutes after he came on to the field, the young midfielder produced the first goal of the game as he collected a long throw in from David Luiz and added a cool side footed finish past Salvatore Sirigu. Chelsea continued to threaten the visitors with chances from Oscar and Fernando Torres assaulting the PSG goal. However Chelsea’s second goal came from another substitute as Cesar Azpiliciueta’s late strike was diverted to Demba Ba who scooped the ball into the net in the 87th minute to bring the tie level, though Chelsea were the ones to progress thanks to their first leg away goal.
SEMI FINALS
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The semi-finals were set to bring just as many great moments as the quarters. Chelsea met Atletico Madrid, leaving Bayern Munich the gargantuan task of tackling Spanish giants Real Madrid. However the first legs in both ties were to continue in the same vein as the quarters as the goals were kept to a minimum.
The other semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich saw a very close first leg. Bayern were quick to take the initiative in the beginning of the game, seeing an effort from Bastian Schweinsteiger deflected wide before Arjen Robben headed straight at Iker Casillas.
However Madrid fought back against the away side’s early pressure and began to create chances of their own. In the 19th minute
Fabio Coentrao was able to slip past Jerome Boateng to square the ball to Karim Benzema who produced a calm side footed finish to put the home side ahead. With a goal on their side Madrid continued to apply the pressure, encouraging efforts from Angel Di Maria and the fit again Cristiano Ronaldo. Madrid continued to press in the second half whilst managing to keep Bayern’s extremely high attacking line at bay. Ronaldo spurned a multitude of chances whilst chasing a record 15th European goal, and his 50th in the Champions League for Madrid.
Going into the second leg many pundits believed the tie was there for the taking for either team; however